Don't you just love those new shaped rubber bands that are all the rage with kids these days? What am I saying... adults like them too! Here is one idea to use them to teach about Jesus.
How I got the idea:
Years ago I bought a cool object lesson, "Amazing Love," which used a unique space-age technology nitinol wire. It was permanently in an "I LOVE U" shape (using a heart for the word LOVE). I had to dip it in cold water to pull it and dis-form it... then into hot water... and it popped back into the original shape. Kids loved it.
WELL... since my old nitinol wire has finally succumbed to overuse... I had a brain storm. How about using those new stretchy, shaped rubber bands? Sure enough, at Wal-Mart I found a package of them shaped as words, and one of the words was "I LOVE U," (again using the heart to replace the word LOVE). Cool! Now I can still use my object lesson, which I will re-title "Unchanging Love," focusing on God's unconditional, undeserved love.
Here's how to teach "UNCHANGING LOVE":
Without letting the kids see the original shape, take the "I LOVE U" rubber band, twisting and pulling every which way. Explain verses like Romans 3:23, 5:12, 5:8, etc. talking about our sin, and while we were in sin, Christ died for us.
Then suddenly... let the rubber band pop back into shape, showing a message from God, "I LOVE YOU!" No matter what our sin... His message is unchanging. His love, unconditional and everlasting, is the only constant in this world!
Another application could be that we are, as Christians, are often guilty of wanting God on our terms... rather than being conformed to Him. (Romans 8:29)
You can take this idea and run with it, there are so many possible applications.
Any other ideas, folks?
My mind is spinning with other ways to use these shaped bands. The animals... oh yeah! I will use one of them tomorrow, a horse... and let each child have one to take home as a memory aid. Our lesson teaches about the wild horse versus the gentled horse, and the quality of meekness we should aim for in our lives. And I'm also thinking, "Wouldn't the children in India be ecstatic to receive a package of these?"
Let me hear from you concerning other shaped rubber band ideas for teaching children about Jesus, won't you?
